Will Rogers, who was a famous American cowboy, actor and columnist, once said, "Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there".

How true this is when it comes to career planning. Most of us have a plan, or even a rough outline of one in our head. But if we don't formalise the plan and treat it with as much effort we do our job, it's pretty easy for the rough outline to stay pretty sketchy.

Here's a short excerpt from my book "Hot Tips for Career Chicks" about career planning:

"To make the most of the the time you invest in your Career
Development, you need a plan. This involves some common
sense activities that would you use to approach any important
project that you are responsible for as part of your job. You
simply need to set goals, identify the actions required to
achieve them, then conduct regular progress reviews. This is
nothing more than the standard approach you would use to
achieve your business goals. Successful Career Chicks use
these skills every day. The secret is to apply them to your
own career development.

The process for creating a career plan is the same for men
and women. The challenge for women is to actually do it.
When you know what you want to achieve, what work you
like to do, which companies you want to work for and even
the level of seniority you want to reach, you've created the
foundation for a plan. A career plan is your guide to what
you want to achieve and the steps you need to take to get
there, It will provide you with a mechanism to ensure that
you are on the path the set your objectives and realize them."

The Career Chick Hot Tip: Build a Plan

Next blog I'll talk a bit about how to set goals...because sometimes knowing what you want can be the really tricky bit.

That's all for now. Have a great weekend. I'm off to celebrate a 75th birthday with a great Chick ...my Mum!